The Fighter

She feels a lump.

She puts it out of her mind.

It doesn't go away.

She goes to the G.P., then sent to the specialist.

The results comeback, the fear is realised. It's cancer.

"No problem" she says.

"Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy".

"Right let's do it".

And it gets done.

10 years pass.

"It's back" she tells her sons when she awakes in ICU. "I'll never be cured but I'll be well managed, we have time".

Affairs are put in order, they come to terms with it.

Gradually it spreads, gradually it gets worse.

Yet somehow she goes on. Beds are to be made, shopping has to be done "because my husband and the boys will only make a balls of it".

There is work to go to, college to go to, friends to be seen, dog to be walked.

She goes on. Strong. Stubborn. Determined. Making sure everyone around her goes on too.

A fighter. A daughter. A wife. A friend. My mother.

Looks are everything

I hope you did your homework and popped over and read http://insomniacmedic.blogspot.com/2010/12/boots.html

I'm sure my twitter followers will be well aware that both I and @insomniacmedic1 have a thing about polished boots.

I'm a firm believer in "if you look the part you'll act the part" and I try to bring other people round to my thinking.

On a duty recently with a new member he was looking through my kit bag "how much did that cost" pointing to my pulse oximeter "where did you get that" looking at my glucometer.

I explained each one and then told him not to bother buying any of them, he looked at me and said "yea I know I can’t use them now but when I get more training, I'll need them"

"You need to start with something else first" "What?" "An iron and a tin of polish"

You know that look dogs make when they turn their head to the side trying to distinguish where a noise came from, that’s what I was faced with.

I had to explain that to be honest......he looked like he was dragged through a hedge backwards!

The rest of the duty was spent explaining how the first impression is everything and that it’s usually made up of what the person sees.

I hope next time were on duty together his boots will at least be black and not a scuffed grey, his trousers look like they've at least seen a hanger and he isn't doing a rabbit impression.

If you walked into a restaurant and the waiter was covered in stains, he looked scruffy, his shirt was undone. Would you be happy he was serving you food?? I wouldn't. If you see a pilot walking into the cockpit of the plane you're about to travel on, wearing a pair of jeans and scruffy trainers would you be happy he was flying? I wouldn't

You can be the best at what you do, but if you don't make the effort to appear professional I won’t trust you as far as I can throw you.

Why should the people who look after you when you're sick or injured be any different?

I think it's a shame that on a duty recently two people commented on my polished boots, one a Garda (police officer) and the other a paramedic. It should be that comments are only passed on scruffy attire, that everyone is properly turned out and the ones who don't meet the standard stand out not the other way round.

Put the effort in, little and often makes all the difference. I know sometimes situations beyond our control get in the way, like c-spine control on a person who's fallen off a horse into a muddy ditch, but if you start off with the work done sorting it out after will be a lot easier.

First impressions are everything. Get the iron out, and don't forget the kiwi polish.

Remember if you look the part, you'll act the part!

Homework

Right listen up. Pop on over to the Insomniac Medic and read this blog post http://insomniacmedic.blogspot.com/2010/12/boots.html

Pay attention, take notes. I'll be posting about it tomorrow about it shortly.

Pro tip: get the kiwi polish out

Why do it? Part 2

"What ya mean you don't get paid?"

"I don't get paid, it’s voluntary"

"Are you mad? Why do you do it then?"

That is the conversation I seem to have with most people when I explain I'm a volunteer medic.

On the 24/01/2006 I went to my first meeting of my local voluntary ambulance organization and it went from there.

Why did I go?

Emergency medical care has been something that always interested me; my lifelong goal from an early age was to become a Firefighter/paramedic with the Dublin Fire Brigade, so becoming a volunteer medic was a step in the right direction.

I did my basic training, got my uniform and started going on duty.

Initially it was daunting, despite not treating a patient for who knows how many duties, I was in uniform and on an ambulance. Even though I was always accompanied by senior members anytime I treated a patient my adrenaline went into over drive accompanied by sweat and tremors.

But eventually I settled. I felt comfortable; I started treating patients with less supervision, I was no longer just doing task after task, I was looking at the bigger picture, thinking two steps ahead. I had found my niche. This was for me.

Initially when asked why I do it, my reply would be "Ah sure someone has to" "Or there’s a job that needs doing". I always tried to avoid the cliché "To help people".

I didn't want to be a cliché.

So I had to spend time thinking. Then it clicked. On the first day of a course the instructor asked us one by one to introduce ourselves, state our unit and say why we were on the course.

"To increase my skills" "The duties we do require a certain level of skills" "Because it’s the next step" A sample of the answers others gave.

All very relevant reasons I thought and probably would have said the same if they hadn't have said it before me.

Then it was my turn "To give me a greater knowledge and skill set so as to provide the best possible care for my patients, to maximize the best possible outcome for them".

It was completely off the cuff, just got a lot of thoughts floating about my head and mashed them into a sentence......and it worked!

That was it! I want to do the best for the people in my care. I am not the be all and end all, there’s usually a long road ahead of them when they leave my care. But I know I'm a cog in a big machine. If I can get the ball rolling in my patients care the outcome will hopefully be better.

So now when asked why I give up my free time to stand beside a football pitch in the rain, babysit intoxicated punters at a concert as they fill sick sack after sick sack or be deafened by motorbikes as I sit in a lay by at a road racing event I answer "Just in case, to do what I can for who I can"

That’s the simplistic version. I'm not going to lie, I still get a buzz from it, I still get satisfaction from a job well done and boy do I break out into a small grin when a patient or relative says "Thank you" and genuinely means it.

I really could go on forever talking about the things I enjoy, but I'll elaborate in posts at a later date on some of them.

theSmurse, Out!

P.S. All comments and feedback much appreciated on here or on twitter. Thanks for reading

Why do it? Part 1

This is a question I get asked a lot "Why do you do what you do?"

Up until recently my answer was a cliché or just whatever random thing popped into my head. Then it got thinking.....(its ok the pain has gone now!)

First off I'm going to deal with the nursing.

To be honest I fell into nursing, I was at a loose end when I had to fill in the form listing my preferences of university courses....what to do? Since as there isnt a degree in becoming a firefighter/paramedic here and having been a couple of months too young for the latest fire brigade recruitment I needed something to keep me occupied!

Business??? Nope cant deal with 9-5 and I hate ties

Engineering? No chance I cant make a sandwich that doesn't fall apart

Languages? Maths? Geography? No, no and no

I want something with a nice dose of practicality, I had a moment of enlightenment one day driving to school "What about nursing?........ermm ok that'll do" So it went down on the form, knowing very little of nursing bar working in hospitals taking handover from ambulance crews and making sick people better. Thats where it began and ended to be honest.

Then I did my end of school exams, getting middle of the road results which in turn were converted to points, college courses allocated depending on how you scored, I didn't do too great...or so I thought.

My #1 preference course lowered its points requirement before I knew it I was sat in the back of a lecture hall surrounded by 300 or so other people, most of the female persuasion, any mans dream you say.....I would have too only I was too shit scared it took me months to get comfortable with my surroundings.

I've often asked myself "why in the name of all thats holy do I do this???" Granted thats usual at 6:30am as I'm on my way to placement, usually looking down the barrel of a 13 hour shift. But I have thought about it properly. To be honest I've always known nursing will not be my career for life, I wasn't really sure I'd see out the degree at times.

I've learnt a lot from nursing, I feel very comfortable interacting with people from all walks of life, thinking on my feet and planning care. I also now look at the big picture "what medications should they be on?" "What assistance will they require?" "What specialties do I need to refer them too?" "How will they cope at home?" "How did this happen, how can I try and prevent it happening again?"

This experience has helped me a lot in the pre hospital field, when I started if they lived until we got to A&E well I'd done my job, now as soon as a patient is in my care, nearly subconsciously I'm doing a nursing assessment on them and only stop short of discharge planning!

As for why I do nursing, to be honest it's a means to an end, I've no doubt learnt a lot, am still learning everyday, being exposed to everything from out patients, public health, theater, A&E, medical wards, surgical wards you name it I'll be sent there. But its still not for me, it has a routine 07:30-08:00 Handover 08:00-09:00 Patients breakfast, washing etc then staff go on break. Everything has a time and has to be done on time. That doesn't suit me, I like somewhere where I dont know whats coming next, whos next? Whats their illness or injury etc.

Thats why I liked A&E so much. Cublicle 7: 90 y.o. Female with a UTI. Cubicle 8: 22 y.o. Male with a GSW's to R Leg. Mad place, but even that didn't quite satisfy me.

Me I want to be out there on the streets responding to calls for assistance from here there and everywhere. Everything from stubbed toes to life threatening incidents. One day I will be. You have been warned!

Hello there

Welcome to my blog, see this is what happens when I get bored and should be doing college work. Lets see how it goes.

The about me bit:

I'm a Student General Nurse studying in a Dublin university working mostly in a large acute general hospital

I am also a volunteer with a voluntary ambulance organisation and I've recently qualified as an Emergency Medical Technician. Ive been a member for over 5 years starting off as a basic first aider and gradually working my way up. Our work mainly focuses around event medical cover but also includes more community based work such as transporting elderly and disabled people from healthcare facilities back home etc.

Outside of that as I said I'm a guy in his early 20's so make of that what you will. My loves in life are caffine, nicotine and rugby.

Right the introduction bit:

The name of the blog, the three T's reflect me.

Tea....I love the stuff, would drink it all day everyday and have been known to do so!

Triangulars is the slang term for triangular bandages one of the most versatile pieces of kit for any medic, one of the most simple but very handy piece of kit

Tunics, nursing ones to be precise, I hate mine with a passion, I find it hideous and impractical, but alas it must be worn......plus you know it gives me something to give out about. Happy days!

As for what this blog will contain, will itll just be about my random thoughts and experienced. The people I meet, the things I see, the thoughts I have....and well whatever else comes to mind.

You can follow me here and also on Twitter, find me @theSmurse

Thanks for stopping by, comments and feedback always welcome